Scouting Report
EVALUATED 04/06/2024
Austin Robson
Regional Scout- Eastern Canada
Projection: Top Pair Defender with PP Capabilties
Projectable Skills: Skating, Defensive Zone Retrievals, Rush Attacking
Development Opportunities: Strength
Taillefer’s strong two-way game was a personal favorite of mine all season long. He possesses one of the smoothest strides and edgework in the entire draft class, which allows him to dictate the pace of play when he’s out on the ice. On his retrievals he has the ability to kickstart the breakout in a myriad of ways by either using deceptive fakes and quick changes of direction to escape pressure seamlessly or to scan the zone, initiate contact from the F1 and make a quick play to a teammate. He’s one of the more talented attackers off the rush in the entire class, not only from the backend but just in general. He picks his spots to activate very intelligently, whether it be using his skating to carry the puck up the ice or join the rush to create a numbers advantage. With the puck he uses a variety of slip, hook and saucer passes to thread pucks through sticks and bodies and onto the tape of a teammate in stride. His ability to process and then execute these plays at pace forces me to believe he’ll be able to translate this skill to the next level. Although he definitely has room to grow, especially physically, I think Taillefer has shown consistently throughout the year that he possesses the highest ceilings out of all draft-eligible defenders.
Skating
9.5Puck Skills
8Hockey IQ
8.5Playmaking
9Scoring
7.5Physicality
7Defense
8Overall
8.21Scouting Report
EVALUATED 30/05/2024 Austin Robson
Regional Scout- Eastern Canada
While I thought Taillefer started off the tournament a bit timid in his approach, I thought he really turned into himself in the latter half and showed why I believe he has one of the higher ceilings in this year’s class. The poised and effective play in his own zone was there from the start, as he was being deceptive on his retrievals and getting rid of pressure with a quick shoulder fake to initiate the breakout. He closes on opposing attackers quite quickly while defending the rush thanks to his lateral mobility, but I also thought he was doing a good job using his body to separate man from puck along the boards in the defensive zone, adding a different element to his already stout defensive game. The offense started to click a lot more on the second day, as Taillefer began to play more instinctually with less hesitation. He started leading the rush more consistently, showing off his high-end skating and stickhandling ability that make him a huge threat off the rush. When he wasn’t able to carry the puck in on his own, he would dish off to a forward then skate into space to make himself an option in transition. He’s able to process and spot options very quickly in transition as well, which helps speed up his team’s attack and provides a dynamic element from the backend.
Scouting Report
EVALUATED 23/05/2024 Austin Robson
Regional Scout- Eastern Canada
For what it’s worth, I thought Taillefer was the best defenseman, if not best player, throughout the entirety of this event. He was consistently driving play for his team whenever he was on the ice, demonstrating high-end offensive ability along with stout defending both in-zone and off the rush. This was definitely the most confident I’ve seen Taillefer all year, as he was never shy to skate the puck out of his own zone, beat a few forecheckers with ease and join the attack as the fourth forward. The playmaking element he showed off the rush would’ve been considered high-end from a forward, never mind a defender. He was able to alter his body position while operating at top speed in order to manipulate opposing defenders, where he would then execute a pass to a teammate in a dangerous area. On his retrievals he was very calm and effective, demonstrating good scanning habits and a willingness to initiate contact to make the play; although these only came in handy when he wasn’t providing shoulder and head fakes to shake forecheckers and skate his way out of trouble. His skating ability allowed him to get back on the defensive side of things whenever anything went awry offensively, which really limited the risk factor of his high-octane offensive game.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 27/05/2024Austin Robson
Regional Scout- Eastern Canada
Even when he’s not exactly exerting himself 100%, Taillefer’s physical tools allow him to positively impact the game in all three zones. He’s a defenseman whos extremely aware of his surroundings, which was made prevalent in the neutral zone when he received somewhat of a suicide pass in transition but with a quick scan was able to recognize the incoming player, chip the puck by him and dump it in the zone. He navigates the offensive zone as well as any defender in this class, often peeling back if the middle of the ice is too congested to buy time and allow his teammates to get open in dangerous areas. Even when he was caught flat footed in the neutral zone, his high-end foot speed allows him to track back on attackers and thwart any dangerous opportunities off the rush when he’s on the ice. He was still such an effective puck carrier through the neutral zone, often using quick changes of direction to escape checkers, which lead to some players being forced to haul him down and take a penalty. In one on one situations he uses his skating to stick with forwards, keeping a good gap and force them to the outside away from the dangerous areas of his own zone.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 23/05/2024 Austin Robson
Regional Scout- Eastern Canada
I found it to be a quiet yet effective game for Taillefer in this one. He wasn’t activating as much on the offensive side of things as I’ve seen him do in previous viewings, even if I think his defensive play more than made up for that. He was deceptive on his retrievals, shaking forecheckers with a simple shake of the shoulders which was followed by a quick outlet pass up the ice to kickstart the transition game. There were a couple of sequences where he broke up an odd man rush by getting his stick into lanes, denying any potentially dangerous scoring chances in the process. His in-zone defending was stout as well, keeping forwards to the outside and denying most attempts to get to the inside with his stick or body.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 28/04/2024 Austin Robson
Regional Scout- Eastern Canada
Taillefer’s offensive prowess really shone through in this game, as I thought he strung together one of the more impressive performances I’ve seen from a draft-eligible all season long. He was carrying the puck up the ice with relative ease, whether it was starting from his own zone and going end-to-end or receiving a puck in motion in the neutral zone and maintaining his speed. By my count, Taillefer lead all players in this game in completed passes to the slot area, which is quite absurd for a defenseman considering the high-end forward talent that was playing in this game. He was consistently executing dangerous plays off the rush, demonstrating a playmaking acumen that I’ve seen glimpses of throughout the year. His defending was pristine as well, often gapping up quick on attackers off the rush and either forcing a dump in or nullifying the transition play. Taillefer was very aware of his surroundings with the puck on his stick during regroups, never forcing any plays up ice out of panic but rather always waiting for the play to develop before executing.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 25/04/2024 Austin Robson
Regional Scout- Eastern Canada
Confidence just oozes out of Taillefer every time he touches the puck. Pressure along the offensive blueline just doesn’t seem to faze him, as he uses his lateral movement and stickhandling ability to beat the aforementioned pressure at the top of the zone and gain access into secondary coverage. His skating ability, in conjunction with his poise, is such an asset for him on retrievals where he’s willing to initiate contact to win a puck then using his feet to wheel out from behind the net and initiate the breakout. He was quite active in the transition game, often joining the rush as that fourth forward and trying to beat defenders one on one with the puck on his stick. He scored a fantastic goal in the first period, where he activated off the rush, corralled a pass that was behind him between his legs, and went backhand to forehand to score.
Player Card
- All Data is derived via 5v5 per 60 minutes rate displayed in percentile format.
- Data Courtesy of In Slat.
COMMITTED:
Massachusetts
18/12/2024
SIGNED:
Quebec Remparts
14/11/2024
LEAGUE PREDICTION
No Predictions YetTEAM PREDICTION
-
UMass
Confirmed
100%
TIMELINE
- 2024
18/12/2024
Alexandre Taillefer commits to UMass
- 2024
14/11/2024
Québec Remparts sign Alexandre Taillefer
- 2024
08/06/2024
Québec Remparts select Alexandre Taillefer in the QMJHL Entry Draft
- 2024
06/05/2024
Chicago Steel select Alexandre Taillefer in the USHL Futures Draft
